Talking Points From Stamford Bridge | Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United

Any match between Chelsea and Manchester United was surely going to bring up issues and perspectives, we were not denied such. With Mourinho taking his team, Manchester United back to Stamford Bridge 10months after he was sacked by Chelsea, there were to be plenty of talking points. Below are the talking points from the Chelsea-Man United match.

Talking Points From Chelsea Vs Manchester United

1. Mourinho Well Beaten on His Return

Stamford Bridge was always home to Jose Mourinho. To see him on the dug-out of the away team is an unusual site. The pre-match analysis was all centred around his return to Chelsea albeit, as an opposition manager. Whatever you expected, nobody expected Mourinho and Manchester United to be soundly beaten at the Bridge, not least after they pulled a defensive masterclass against Liverpool last weekend. But, not only were they beaten, they were soundly beaten. To put in better perspective, this was Mourinho’s heaviest EPL defeat, and coming against the team that sacked him, the humiliation is compounded.

2. Chris Smalling’s Night Mare

It was obvious Chris Smalling endured his worst game in a Manchester United colours. He was culpable for the 4 goals conceded by his team. Within 30 secs, he was out of position and thus allowed Pedro sneak in to open the scoring. For the second goal, he left Gary Cahill entirely free to stab in the second from a corner in a very close range. He allowed Hazard all freedom to step-side him and score the third, while he was beaten by Messi-esque Kante turn for the fourth goal. He will well know this was a night mare to forget. It remains to be seen whether he will retain his place in the team for the next match.

Also Read: Top 10 Questions For the 2016/2017 Epl Season

3. Chelsea Back In Title Contention

This win has played Chelsea back into title consideration. Few weeks ago as the team lost to Arsenal and then Liverpool, pundits called it game over for Chelsea. But with this win, they are back into contention for the title. They however received help from their rivals as Tottenham, Arsenal and Mancity drew this weekend. So, Chelsea is back in 4^th position with 19ptsbut one point behind Liverpool, Arsenal and Mancity who occupy the first 3 positions on 20 points.

4. Chelsea Finally Has Their Mojo Back

Chelsea is finally rediscovering their best form for over a year now. This is the clinical Chelsea that teams feared to visit. At their best, no team comes to the Stamford Bridge without apprehension. Last season was a forgettable encounter as they failed woefully to defend their EPL title. Even the recruitment of Guus Hiddink couldn’t save them from a 10^th place finish. Although they started well under Conte, the team have failed to be convincing but since switching to a 3-4-3 formation, they are back to their best as they have swept aside Hull City 2-0, Leicester City 3-0 and now Manchester United 4-0. No one can bet against them maintaining this form for a long while.

5. Courtois In Inspired Form

Courtois was simply inspired and Chelsea has him to thank for keeping them in the match. Much has been said of De Gea’s heroics, but today was simply made for Courtois. With the game still at 1-0, he made a long stretch diving save from Herrera’s long range shot and showed his reflexes in keeping out Lingard’s shot from the rebound. He also was on hand to deny Rashford and later on Ibrahimovic from close range late in the game. Not only were the saves crucial, they were timely in silencing critics questioning Cheleas’s decision to keep him over Petr Cech. He did himself no harm today with his third clean sheet in a row.